Are you part of a community?

Andy Hunt · Post by **Andy Hunt** » 21 Apr 2010, 20:57

Do you feel part of a community, or do you feel alone? When TSHTF, do you think you will have friends, neighbours and family you can rely on, which will help to hold things together, or do you think that round your way it will be 'everyone for themselves'?

Answers on a postcard . . .

PS_RalphW · Post by **PS_RalphW** » 21 Apr 2010, 21:09

We, well mostly the better half, know a couple of dozen families in the village, mostly through school. However, we are in a very untypical village, being more a wealthy, intellectual and transient suburb of Cambridge. We try to integrate, but community around here is fairly ephemeral and superficial. The is a strong class and wealth divide which most people are too polite to mention. We are seen as too posh by the lower incomes and too naff by most of the rest.

The wealthy are all light greens who still like thier 3 or 4 foreign jaunts a year, and the poor are too busy earning a living to think beyond the next episode of EastEnders.

Keela · Post by **Keela** » 21 Apr 2010, 21:14

I'm not part of anything organised but I still ticked the first option. There is a strong sense of community round here and I have plenty of local friends and family to call on.

contadino · Post by **contadino** » 21 Apr 2010, 21:22

Keela wrote:I'm not part of anything organised but I still ticked the first option. There is a strong sense of community round here and I have plenty of local friends and family to call on.

Same here (except family are a long way away, but then they'd probably come here if TSHTF anyway.)

Andy Hunt · Post by **Andy Hunt** » 21 Apr 2010, 21:37

Keela wrote:I'm not part of anything organised but I still ticked the first option. There is a strong sense of community round here and I have plenty of local friends and family to call on.

That's ok, similarly I am part of an organised community group but I wouldn't say that the community spirit round here is massively strong. But that is something, at least.

biffvernon · Post by **biffvernon** » 22 Apr 2010, 08:38

Seven community meetings in this week's diary. Only time to get to six of them.

ziggy12345 · Post by **ziggy12345** » 22 Apr 2010, 08:40

I like the american philosophy

"If you dont have many friends buy lots of guns"

emordnilap · Post by **emordnilap** » 22 Apr 2010, 10:08

ziggy12345 wrote:I like the american philosophy

"If you dont have many friends buy lots of guns"

I don't.

Anyway, I ticked the first option because it was the nearest. There is a community round here: people are willing to help and virtually everyone knows everyone else (some Brits would hate that!) but these days they don't actually go out of their way (well, some do

).

There are several houses built during the '00s boom where the occupants 'wanted to have a house in the country' and I express surprise to them when they don't know a soul in the neighbourhood - but I still try to get to know them; they might have some useful skills, one lives in hope.

Longer-term residents still have the 'meitheal' spirit for older people who are not capable of heavy work, like tree cutting or ploughing for a few spuds. 'Meitheal' is the Irish for helping your neighbours, from the days when you helped me build my house, I helped you build yours, no money exchanged.

It's still there in specific cases - I'd be upset if I wasn't asked to help with the digging of a neighbour's grave, for instance and I go out of my way to give lifts to people when I'm in the car - and I reckon it will come back big time. Getting a few neighbours round to tackle a big job and, suddenly, the work goes out of it and the enjoyment comes in.

The modern equivalent is, I believe, a barbecue.

Mitch · Post by **Mitch** » 22 Apr 2010, 11:13

I ticked the first option but we are somewhat divided. The majority of us work together, but we have a family - two brothers - who look out for themselves and "family" first and foremost. If the "community" has something they can use, they will wait till it's done, then ask to use, and pay for, the facility - they have no interest in getting anything communal set up. They are nice enough blokes and reasonably well liked by all - they just have a different view of life. The attitude seems to be "If it's not directly profitable to me personally, I'm not interested". Seems a perfectly normal attitude for central London.........

emordnilap · Post by **emordnilap** » 22 Apr 2010, 11:33

Mitch, I can sympathise with your observations. The problem is money. You can, if you have it, buy your way out of responsibilities.

Take it away, lessen its power or simply find yourself in short supply and the game changes drastically.

jonny2mad · Post by **jonny2mad** » 22 Apr 2010, 11:54

What exactly is a strong community being part of some community's for example Russian kulaks during the terror, European Jews during ww2 , Armenians during they're persecution wouldn't really help your survival .

Are you in a weak community that could mean a minority thats likely to be scapegoated, or a group thats badly armed or pacifist, or thats declining in numbers, or has things other people want without the ability to defend them.

I think some community's are pretty dangerous to belong to .

I have friends I don't belong to a community I'm not sure if belonging to most UK community's would help you much during a die-off.

The sort of community you would need would have very strong in group out group boundary's , this would enable it to compete with other groups and also would stop it from getting to many people without clear allegiance to the group thus out stripping resources .

This would be importan in a fast crash situation I think

MrG · Post by **MrG** » 22 Apr 2010, 12:18

I voted two because its mostly my immediate neighbours I interact with

We all get on really well and are starting to use the three gardens communally. There is pretty good community round my way generally though.

On the other hand my family is split geographically which is really bad.

emordnilap I totally hear what your saying, this meitheal that your talking about, that is real community and your right about the effect of money as well.

Back in Norfolk it was a bit like that in our village at one time. When my grandad was alive all the farmers in the village used to share farm machinery. There was only one combine harvester and everyone took turns using it and they all helped each other to get their crop in. No money changed hands, but that was between a load of old boys most of which are now dead. There is still a good sense of community but no shared work ethic like that. My uncle (retired now) still helps some people out at harvest time without expecting to get paid.

RenewableCandy · Post by **RenewableCandy** » 24 Apr 2010, 00:21

I put (2) but I'm probably somewhere between (2) and (1). Put it this way, when recently stranded on a desert island (more anon.), I was able to ring up our local Councillor and ask if they'd mind letting themselves into our house to water the plants. I know they did so because not only are our plants still thriving but there's also a big "Vote" poster in our front window that wasn't there before(!) Thus:
1. I know our local councillor well (including phone no)
2. I trust them
3. They trust me
4. I trust everybody enough to have a key not-very-well-secreted in our back garden

I might also Mention In Dispatches a neighbour who came round with wine and flowers this evening to say welcome back!

Post by **kenneal - lagger** » 24 Apr 2010, 01:21

RenewableCandy wrote: when recently stranded on a desert island

I didn't think boats were effected by the ash cloud. Or did you swim there?

RenewableCandy · Post by **RenewableCandy** » 26 Apr 2010, 11:30

kenneal wrote:
RenewableCandy wrote: when recently stranded on a desert island
I didn't think boats were effected by the ash cloud. Or did you swim there?

We'd wanted to sail (to a friend's wedding) but there were no boats til May so we flew. Serve us right really.

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Are you part of a community?

Do you feel part of a community?

Are you part of a community?